Washington’s Sea Eagle: America’s Lost Giant?

John James Audubon, famed for his breathtaking bird paintings, also documented something far stranger: a colossal eagle he called Washington's Eagle. First spotted along the Upper Mississippi in 1814, Audubon's notes describe a 14-pound raptor with a 10-foot wingspan - far larger and behaviorally distinct from any bald eagle. He even shot and meticulously dissected a specimen, carefully recording its every detail before immortalizing it in Birds of America. Yet today, this towering bird remains an enigma, its existence questioned and largely forgotten.

Many argue Audubon may have simply misidentified a juvenile bald eagle, but the evidence suggests otherwise. Audubon was well-acquainted with bald eagle development stages and noted major differences in size, plumage, and behavior. Washington's Eagle nested on the ground, didn't steal prey like bald eagles, and showed a unique soaring hunt pattern. Importantly, multiple independent sightings - even reports of captive specimens - hint that this wasn't just a one-off mistake, but a distinct, now-vanished species.

So why has the search for Washington's Eagle fizzled out? Why hasn't there been a serious hunt for misidentified museum specimens? The possibility of a third American eagle, once soaring above the Great Lakes, is tantalizing. Imagine encountering a bird so massive - especially knowing the females would have been even larger. Could Audubon's giant still be hiding in the forgotten corners of history?

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